Commisions #5: Mirror Frame #5

Well the frame is finally done and its time for the best part the finish ;)

so i started off as usual with a fresh frame sanded to 180

my first 3 coats were General Finishes Natural Danish oil and this really brings out all this hickory’s got. i think that this is a prime example of how as Charles Neil stated in his video that the colors that really bring out the wood are the ambers and the yellows (not the exact statement but in the ball park) and i think this is a golden example of that. just to say this also i think that these pictures put this hickory to shame and do not capture the whole beauty of the wood.

next is for protection 3 coats of General Finishes Arm-r-Seal.

and last i rubbed the surface out with #00 steel wool and buffed it with a rag. why #00 and not something finer like #0000? well thats because i don’t think that #0000 is coarse enough to smooth out the surface but i have found that the #00 takes down the dust but is still not coarse enough to leave any visible marks. this last step with the steel wool and the buffing produces a silky smooth surface that just makes you want to tell people to touch it (which i have done). So now here is a picture of me with the finished product, the big frame has the mirror in it but the small frame doesn’t yet.

So this has been a really fun project but its time to move on and time for other commissions. i think that i have really made a quality piece here and met the requirements of both the finishing and building side of me. the tongue and grooves are nice and tight and shouldn’t come apart until the glue life dies so i guess that that will be about 20 years or so of rock solid-ness (this is all with the glue, and when it fails I’m not sure if even they will come apart). also the v grooves were very nice, and with the finishing i have made a finish that a camera can not capture and is silky smooth to the touch. and i know that i have done a good job because there is a knot on the back of the larger frame and with this finish i think that even a knot would look great in a finished piece, lol! So overall this has been a fun project and i have learned a lot!

You are doing well. You did a nice job on the frame and I really like your entrepreneurship. I am sure that your client will be satisfied with the frame. It is well built, you had a nice choice of wood and hickory is a beautiful wood when finished.

Well done.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine